Prescribing heroin is the first overview of how and why heroin is prescribed in the UK. It brings together research evidence from the UK and elsewhere to provide a comprehensive review of the benefits and drawbacks of heroin prescription. Currently only a small number of UK doctors prescribe heroin. The government is planning a cautious and modest expansion of this treatment. This study considers whether heroin prescription is effective in the short and the long term.

It covers: • Reasons given for prescribing heroin and for expanding such treatment; • The history of prescribing heroin and how practice has developed; • The manufacture and use of illicit heroin and its associated risks; • Current approaches to heroin problems in the UK; • The range of services available for heroin users.

The study concludes with a summary of the research, clinical, political and practical challenges for expanding heroin prescription.